gjm

I posted a TradeMe link earlier today for a 318iS coupe.

Or not. AC Schnitzer, that is. It does have an ACS exhaust (tailpipe, at least) but not much else that's obvious. Engine is the M44, so looks to be a 1996 E36 318iS 5-speed manual coupe with an ACS (part?) exhaust. Quite nice. Good colour (if you like purple). Would have been very keen if we'd not just spent some money on Miss M's 318i to get some stuff sorted. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1194289533.htm

I am! But that's not the point... I shall ask.

With or without driver... Although I anticipate 'with' might be preferred by anyone who can help. Some friends are getting married in 2 weeks, and have already arranged an M5. They'd like another M5, or a similarly nice (and powerful) car for the trip from Auckland to Matakana. They're happy to pay.

Not if my PM got in before your post..

Sadly not replacing Bernie Ecclestone, but it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully. This is as reported by Anthony Rowlinson, editor of 'F1 Racing'.

Nice, but a teensy bit - OK, quite a lot! - more than I was planning/hoping to pay. I missed a pair at Zebra a couple of months ago which went for $70 the pair... That was actually for the entire mirrors. No idea if they were heated or not, but I think the new part from BMW will come equipped with the necessary connections regardless. Will try to get to see Brent this week. Work has been unforgiving.

Miss M's E36 has 'flat' mirrors. I'd like to fit something similar to the split wide-angle mirror glass that the E46 has - the difference this makes, especially when joining SH1 (for instance) from a sliproad is significant. Does anyone have anything? Can trade flat glass if that'd help! (1995 E36 318i 5-speed manual 4-door)

Sorry guys - problems at home meant this slipped my mind. And... I don't have any boot lid linings. I was sure I did, but looking shows toolkits mounted in the centre, but nothing on the rest of the lid. Bare metal only. Apologies for raising hopes.

Think I have one - I'll look this evening. Will my being north of Hamilton may make shipping interesting?

Ta. So long as they retain stock mounting points, and cannot be used to alter ride height: no cert required. Excellent.

Adjustable suspension requires a cert... Is this just for height adjustable suspension, or does it also include suspension where the height cannot be adjusted, but the rebound (for example) can?

I'd not heard of a WoF fail based on an internal lamp repeater lamp not working - that means nothing as I'm not a WoF tester. ABS lamp, airbag lamp (and other similar warning lamps) - fair enough. However, I have been told that the cluster lights not working to illuminate the speedo etc is a fail. Some rural WoF testers will ask the owner to sit in the car and operate the indicator stalk, brake pedal and light switches. In that situation the presence (or lack thereof) of a cluster repeater for the indicators would go unnoticed. This could also be the difference between a 'by the book' tester (nothing wrong with that) and one who will assess a car as being safe, or unsafe and representing a potential hazard to the driver or other road users: the lack of an internal indicator repeater may not be regarded, by some testers, as making the vehicle unsafe or unroadworthy.

Depends on whether it fits with the " original and unmodified " criteria... Maybe 'officially modified' is acceptable?

It's be easy to say M3 Sport Evo3. Or maybe the SA 333i. I like things simple, and would probably opt for a 318iS coupe. Not as fast, but fast enough for everyday. Or perhaps a 325iX wagon.

Both are good cars. A good MX-5 can probably be had for less than a good E30 (depending on spec). There are some excellent - and sometimes expensive - E30s available. There is also an abundance of over-priced tat. There is a current 'fashion' for owning an E30 which sees a lot of less-than-mechanically-sensitive owners buying them because they are deemed 'cool'. This can be a cheap source of a car if you're prepared to do some work. Any car from the 1980s is likely to require ongoing maintenance unless it has had a comprehensive rebuild.

I think you've nailed the two areas where the fault could lie. Which it is will be more difficult to determine without investigation. Could be the bulb holder for the cluster indicator, or connectivity to it.

What is this 'OSX' and 'iOS' of which you speak? I checked the Google store but there's nothing there...

Got a WoF.

Passed it's first WoF since we bought it today. That routine of doing little bits all the time is paying off. There's the tiniest hint of a whisper from what could be a crack in the rear box of the exhaust, but you only notice it when you're under the car and close to it. At the moment, anyway. Going to be looking for a replacement rear section at some point in the not-too-far-distant future.

A very, very nice man from Wellington dropped some off recently when he was up this way. He also left some other useful bits and pieces, none of which I've had a chance to do anything with because the car wasn't at home!

Is there a Hartge H35 in NZ? Saw a black M3-a-like on SH1 this morning. LHD, obviously. Thought "that looks nice, although ride height may be a little off for an E30 M3." Did a double take... No BMW badges at all. Nothing. It was stationery in the left lane on the approach to Papakura from Drury. Hartge logo on left side rear, H35-24 badge on right side rear. Correct elevated rear spoiler. Correct flattened oval tailpipe. Correct Hartge rims (from the look of them) with centre cap logo. Hartge logo on the right (passenger) side of the front grill. Very shiny. Very, very very nice.

She's back. Looks so, sooo much better. Not perfect - wasn't expecting perfect - but much more 'right'. Very pleased. Just need to sort the front, now... And the locks. The drivers' door lock is almost completely stuffed. Had to climb over from the passenger side this morning.

I vaguely recall it was quite a slow sale in Wellington. Maybe it was $3250 last I saw? Current owner has had it listed for about a month in several 1-week listings: #1156183181, 1164523534, 1169207807 as well as the current listing. Seller is consistent on price - every listing has started at $6k.

7 Ferraris in Patumahoe, including a 456 and a 360 CS. So common. Saw another on the way down Bombay Hills about 15 minutes later.